Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Treasures Are In the Eye of the Beholder

The other day when we were beach combing on the shores of Kentucky Lake, it got me to thinking about the different little "treasures" we find there.

We find a lot of sea glass, or maybe I should call it lake glass.  I was asked why we find so much of it here.  I mean, Kentucky Lake is not an ocean, so why do we find so much of it here?  There are actually only 2 specific beaches here that we seem to find it on.  At one time there were several different towns on the land where Kentucky Lake is now located.  Starting in 1938 they built the dam, emptied the towns and flooded the region to form Kentucky Lake.  I'm guessing that some of the glass is from the homes and businesses that used to be in this area.  Another possible explanation is that this is a very recreational lake.  There is a lot of camping on the shores, tons of boats on the lake, and lots of people who, unfortunately, toss their pop and beer bottles in the water.  At any rate, here's some (just a fraction) of the pieces we've picked up....



This next picture shows what looks a lot like an arrowhead, crinoids, (which we find by the hundreds) and a piece of quartz.....


The crinoids are interesting.  They are fossils and you can read about them here.  They look like little cheerios.              We take the crinoids and string them into necklaces, which we found out are actually called "St. Cuthbert's Beads."

We also find a lot of shells, although they aren't nearly as plentiful or as beautiful as the ones I find in Florida.  We still use them to decorate picture frames and wooden boxes....


We also find geodes on occasion.  It's fun to look inside them and see the tiny crystals.


But my absolute favorite find so far is this hunk of sea glass that my son found a couple of years ago.  I know the exact spot we were at when he found it and I can still picture him running out of the water, clutching it in his hand, so excited at finding this for me.    It's the bottom of a Diamond Crystal shaker salt jar, it's a beautiful green color and you can clearly read all the words....




We have gone back to that same spot numerous times, searching through the water, trying to find more, but so far, no such luck.  I just think it looks really cool.

I also like driftwood, so we made this with a couple of pieces and a huge clam shell that we found.....



Another favorite find is my turtle shells.  I placed a quarter there so you could get an idea of the size of them.  We found all of them around the lake, after the turtle had died, and in various states of decay.  We place them in the garden for a few months and let the ants pick them clean, then wash them up.  I love looking at them.



So there you have it - a glimpse at some of my treasures.  Some day I'm gonna be dead and gone and people are probably going to say "What the heck was she collecting all this crap for?"  LOL!  I don't care.  It's what I like, it's interesting.  I'll find stuff and then look it up on the internet and learn more about it.  I just never know what I'm going to find on my next little excursion around the lake.

18 comments:

  1. You do have some treasures! Your turtle shells are just awesome! What a great collection. I never imagined finding shells in Kentucky, and they are cool shells. I love picking up pieces of wood, and rocks, and all sorts of things in the woods, and on the beach. I'm sure when I'm dead and gone people will wonder why I collected some of the things I have, too. LOL

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    1. The turtle shells are really amazing. On our last day in Kentucky last week, Chablis and I found 3 more, which is unbelievable. We found the 4 in the photo over the course of several years, and now we found 3 in one day!

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  2. OMG if I don't move I'm simply going to spend all the rest of my years miserable. I LOVE all the stuff you have collected and would totally do the same exact thing if I was there. I remember going to FL for hockey 7 years ago....we were at Sarasota Beach. I spent hours walking back and forth in the water looking for treasures (mind you it was the first week of Feb and NO ONE was in the water...I must have look crazy...Olivia was only 6 weeks old and in a carrier on my chest some of the time). There is something so calming and exciting about finding treasures in the water or in the rocks. Fun times!! Thanks for sharing this.

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    1. I'm with you! I don't care how cold it is, I'd be out there combing the beach too.

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  3. That lake is quite a treasure trove! I wouldn't have imagined you could find so much on a lakeshore... :o)

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  4. Those are fabulous finds! I think 1/2 of America has collections like that and when we're all gone, future archaeologists might be talking about out obsessive collection of "trash"! I'm heading to Florida in June for my Grandmother's 80th Birthday and can't wait for my next shell finding trip!

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  5. Holy moly what a great place to find beautiful treasures! You find more than I do on Lake Michigan! :) Although I do find a few pieces of sea glass every now and then, even stepped on one that cut my toe open! It was probably a broken bottle. The turtle shells are beautiful, I have never seen any on a lake before. One of my favorites is finding petosky stones, I get so excited! :)
    Have a wonderful day!
    xoxo

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    1. Ok, now I have to go look up "petosky stones" because I don't know what that is.

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  6. Love the bottle bottom. What a cool display. Love it. That should keep you busy until your next trip to SWFL.

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  7. Awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome! I love all that stuff! That is really cool Kim and I just love those turtle shells. Thanks for sharing these little treasure with us you luck bugger you!
    Great stuff!
    Go to a craft store like Michael's and get one of those mosaic kits. All that stuff would make such a cool mosaic or stepping stone. Just an idea:)

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    1. Thats a really good idea about the mosaic kit. I'll have to do that!

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  8. Ah, such great finds!! I have never seen anybody find turtle shells before. Very unique!!

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  9. You had me with the sea...errr lake glass - love!
    xo Cathy

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  10. Turtle shells! Love all of them especially that totally white ones. Now that's what I call "shelling"!

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  11. Love all of your treasures but the turtle shells are particularly awesome! I have never found one but that is now on my list! What a nice collection!

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  12. I LOVE LOVE LOVE beach glass. I have a jar full that I've collected from every time we go to the beach. I have a mess of collected little treasures like yourself. Rambob just rolls his eyes but I don't care, they make me smile ;)

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